Apparatus for working material



Oct. 18, 1932. .1. R. SHEA APPARATUS FOR WORKING MATERIAL Filed Feb. 1o. 1931 w Q E. L 5 f /NVE/VTR H., .5' HEA ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 18 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN R. SHEA, F MAPLEWOOD; NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTERN ELECTRIC' COMPANY, INCORPORATED, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK APPARATUS FOR WORKING MATERIAL Application led February 10, 1931. Serial No. 514,718.

' This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for working material, and more particularly to methods of and apparatus for serving material upon cores.

d l Objects of the invention are to provide improved methods of and apparatus for working material, whereby improved products may be produced efficiently and at higher speeds than heretofore practicable.

s The invention contemplates the provision of a method of and apparatus for worl'ring material wherein the material being worked is subjected to controlled atmospheric conditions, such as pressure, humidity, temperature, etc., whereby any retarding or deleterious eifeets of the atmosphere are eliminated or reduced to a minimum. In one embodiment of theinvention, the serving mechanism of an apparatus for servingi textile or paper jinsulation on wire is enclosed in a vacuum chamber, whereby breakages of the serving material due to atmospheric friction are eliminated, thus permitting the safe and efficientoperation of such apparatus at speeds considerably higher than heretofore practicable.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing,

y in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevationall view of an apparatus for applying paper ribbon insulation on wire in accordance with the present invention; and

j Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

As shown in the drawing, a tubular vertical shaft is rotatably journalled in a supporting base 11 and has a driving pulley l2 keyed thereto by means of which it is' driven from any suitable source of power (not shown). arried upon therupper end of the shaft 10 and driven thereby is a paper ribbon serving mechanism 15 of any well known type comprising a disk 16- for supporting a pad of paper ribbon 17y andsuitable paper tensioning mechanism 18. A serving mechanism of this type is. fully illustrated and described in the patent to H. J. Boe, No. 1,405,710, issued February 7 1922, and since it does. not form a part of the present invention, further description thereof is believed unnecessary. It is believed. sufiicient to herein state that as a wire2(} drawn from a supply (not shown) is advanced by a capstan 21 through the tubular shaft 10 and serving mechanism 15', the paper ribbon is spirally Wrapped thereon through the rotation of the serving mechanism, the angleof application of the paper on the wire being determined by the location of a polisher 22 with respect to the serving mechanism.

In apparatusesV ofthe above and similar types, the speed of application of paper or other covering material hasheretofore. been limited by the large number of breakages of, the material caused by the. atmospheric. friction encountered by the rotating servingv mechanism as well as. the material being served. Since each such break necessitates stopping and re-starting the apparatus, itis obvious that the efficiency of the apparatus decreases as the number of breakages increases, and thus the speed at which such apparatus could be operated efficiently has heretofore been limited.

The above speed limiting conditions are obviated by the method and apparatus of the present invention. This is accomplished by enclosing the serving mechanism, as well as the material being served, in a vacuum or partial vacuum, whereby atmospheric. friction and the breakages resulting therefrom are eliminated or reduced to a minimum, thus permitting ehcient operating speeds considerably higher than heretofore practicable.

Furthermore, by reducing the number of breakages of the covering material, an improved and more uniform product is produced.

shown) In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, a cylindrical casing or hood 24 cooperates With the base 11, on which it is removably supported, to completely enclose the paper serving mechanism l as Well as the paper being served. A rubber insert 25 between the hood 2a and base 1l insures an air tight seal therebetween. The top of the hood 2li is centrally apertured to receive the polisher 22 which is removably clamped to the hood by a threaded collar k2'6. rIhe paper covered Wire passes through an apertured disk 27 of rubber or other resilient material inserted between the polisher 22 and a cap 28 threaded upon the upper endof the polisher. The base Wire enters the tubular shaft l() through an apertured rubber disk 29 similar to the disk 2T and removably secured to the lower end of the shaft by a threaded cap 80 having a baffled chamber 31. The rubber disks 27 and 29 serve to facilitate the maintenance of a vacuum or partial vacuum Within the hood 24E which is connected by a pipe 32 to suitable evacuating apparatus (not To further facilitate the maintenance of the vacuum Within the hool 2/1-, the polisher 22 may be provided with a central annular chamber 33 formed With oppositely disposed bailes 34 and 35 and connected to the -evacuating apparatus by a pipeBG.

During the operation of the serving mechanism l5, al vacuum or partial vacuum is maintained Within the hood 24, whereby the amospheric friction encountered by the material being served is eliminated or reduced to a minimum. Brealages of the material due to. atmospheric friction are thus eliminated, thereby permitting the application of the material at speeds considerably higher zthan heretofore practicable. The efficiency of the apparatus is correspondingly mcreased, and the elimination of breakages of the covering material obviously results in an improved and more uniform product.

It is to be understood that the specific embodiment of the invention herein illustrated and described merely represents one useful application of the invention Which is capable of numerous other applications Within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In an apparatus for covering a core, a main chamber through which said core is adapted to pass, points of entrance and eXit for said core in said main chamber, means located within said main chamber for applying a covering material to said core, and an auxiliary chamber at at least one of said points in said main chamber through Which said core passes for preventing the passage of air into said main chamber and thereby maintaining controlled atmospheric conditions Within said main chamber.

` 2. In an apparatus for covering a core, a main chamber through'which said core is adapted to pass, said main chamber comprising a supporting base and a removable hood, points of entrance and eXit for said core in said main chamber, means located Within said main chamber for applying a covering material to said core, and an auxiliary chamber at at least one of said points in said main chamber through Which said core passes for preventing the passage of air into said main chamber and thereby maintaining controlled atmospheric conditions Within said main chamber.

3. In an apparatus for covering a core, a main chamber through which said core is adapted to pass, points ofentrance and exit for said core in said main chamber, means located Within said main chamber for applying a covering material to said core, a hollow shaft associated With said covering means and through Which said core is adapted to pass, and an auxiliary chamber at at least one of said points in said main chamber through Which said core passes for preventing the passage of air into said main chamber and thereby maintaining controlled atmospheric conditions Within said main chamber.

4. In an apparatus for covering a core, a main chamber through which said core is adapted to pass, points of entrance and exit for said core in said main chamber, means connecting said chamber with an `atmosphere. of reduced pressure, means located Within saidV main chamber for applying a covering material to said core, an auxiliary chamber at at least one of said points in said main chamber through which said core passes and means connecting said auxiliary chamber With an atmosphere of reduced pressure for preventing the passage of air into said main chamber and thereby maintaining controlled atmospheric conditions Within said main chamber.

5. In an apparatus for'covering a core, a main chamber through Which said core is adapted to pass, points of entrance and exit for said core in said main chamber, means located Within lsaid main chamber for applying a covering material to said core comprising a high speed rotatable head carrying a supply of said, covering material around said core, and an auxiliary chamber at at least onel of said points in said main chamber through Whi ch said core passes for preventing the passage of air into said main chamber and thereby maintaining controlled atmospheric conditions Within said main chamber.

6. In an apparatus for covering a core, a main chamber through which said core is adapted to pass,'points of entrance and exit for said core in said main chamber, means located Witbin said main chamber for applying a covering material to said core comprising a high speed rotatable head carrying a supply of the covering material around said core, a hollow shaft for driving said rotatable head and through which said core is adapted to pass, an auxiliary chamber at one end of said hollow shaft, and a second auxiliary chamber at one of said points in said main chamber through which said core passes for preventing the passage of air into said main chamber and thereby maintaining controlled atmospheric conditions Within said main chamber.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 2nd day o f Feb. A. D., 1931.

JOHN R. SHEA. 

